Saskatchewan Polytechnic is banning the video-sharing app TikTok from all school-owned devices immediately, according to a statement released to the media. 

The decision comes after the Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan imposed similar bans to the social media app. 

The Chinese-owned app is under investigation by the federal privacy commissioner because of concerns it could be sharing data and personal information with the Chinese government. 

Sask Polytech becomes one of the first post-secondary institutes in Saskatchewan to ban the app. The University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina have not announced bans as of yet. 

You can read Sask Polytech’s full statement below: 

Saskatchewan Polytechnic has made the decision to prohibit the social media app TikTok from all Sask Polytech devices effective immediately. This decision is due to recent announcements by the Government of Canada and the Government of Saskatchewan providing a similar direction for all government work phones while the platform is under investigation by the federal privacy commissioner. Sask Polytech’s IT policies and procedures incorporate best practices to detect, mitigate and protect against cybersecurity threats.